{"id":11445,"date":"2020-02-07T12:13:08","date_gmt":"2020-02-07T20:13:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/nebulous-oyster.flywheelsites.com\/?p=11445"},"modified":"2021-06-02T11:13:52","modified_gmt":"2021-06-02T18:13:52","slug":"kangaroo-care-helps-newborns-survive-and-thrive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jennifermargulis.net\/kangaroo-care-helps-newborns-survive-and-thrive\/","title":{"rendered":"Kangaroo Care Helps Newborns Survive and Thrive"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"attachment_11446\" style=\"width: 695px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-11446\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-11446 size-full\" src=\"http:\/\/www.jennifermargulis.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Kangaroo-Care.jpg\" alt=\"Kangaroo care means keeping your baby with you. Newborns, even premature babies, thrive from this. Photo courtesy of Ginny Adkins. | Jennifer Margulis\" width=\"685\" height=\"960\" srcset=\"https:\/\/jennifermargulis.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Kangaroo-Care.jpg 685w, https:\/\/jennifermargulis.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Kangaroo-Care-214x300.jpg 214w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 685px) 100vw, 685px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-11446\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">This is what kangaroo care looks like. It means keeping your baby with you skin-to-skin. Newborns, especially premature babies, do better with kangaroo care than being put in incubators or bassinets. Photo courtesy of Ginny Adkins.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Kangaroo care means holding your baby, skin-to-skin. You become your new baby&#8217;s incubator, with no clothing separating you.\u00a0Kangaroo care involves having your <a href=\"http:\/\/www.jennifermargulis.net\/articles\/newborn-niceties-everything-you-need-to-know-about-having-and-helping-with-a-new-baby\/\">newborn<\/a> sleep on your chest (or sleep on your partner&#8217;s or friend&#8217;s chest when you need a break.) Like a mama kangaroo with her joey, you carry her with you everywhere. You stay connected, heartbeat to heartbeat.<\/p>\n<p>All new babies, especially preemies, thrive from skin-to-skin contact.<\/p>\n<p>And, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/life-style\/health-and-families\/skin-to-skin-kangaroo-care-baby-premature-therapy-health-a7559151.html\"><em>The Independent<\/em><\/a>, there are now at least 1,600 scientific studies that show that this kind of skin-to-skin human touch newborn care has tremendous health benefits to babies. <strong>The main benefit is a reduction in infant mortality.<\/strong> This reduction has been seen in every birth facility where kanga care has become routine.<\/p>\n<h3>Beside reducing infant mortality, other benefits to kangaroo care include:<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>better sleep<\/li>\n<li>decreased crying<\/li>\n<li>more periods of alertness<\/li>\n<li>more rapid brain development<\/li>\n<li>regularized breathing<\/li>\n<li>regularized heartbeat<\/li>\n<li>better weight gain<\/li>\n<li>improved ability to <a href=\"http:\/\/www.jennifermargulis.net\/science-breastfeeding-bad-business\/\">breastfeed<\/a><\/li>\n<li>earlier hospital discharge<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>A science-forward approach to the first days of life, as\u00a0this article in <a href=\"https:\/\/midwiferytoday.com\/mt-articles\/kangaroo-care-work\/\"><em>Midwifery Today<\/em><\/a> explores,\u00a0shows that human babies should not be put in incubators or bassinets.<\/p>\n<h3>Don&#8217;t let anyone take away your newborn<\/h3>\n<p>If your baby is born in the hospital, even the pediatric exam can be done while she is with you, on your chest. No one should whisk your baby away from you. Even if kangaroo care is &#8220;against hospital policy,&#8221; insist on it. Your baby needs to be with you. Separating you from your baby is bad for you and bad for your baby.<\/p>\n<p>Unfortunately, with concerns over coronavirus, moms are being separated from their newborns more than ever before.<\/p>\n<p>That&#8217;s what happened to LaToya Jordan after she gave birth to a healthy baby girl.<\/p>\n<p class=\"clay-paragraph\" data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"www.thecut.com\/_components\/clay-paragraph\/instances\/ck8p5zm4z00733h67y8jas3tv@published\" data-word-count=\"90\">\u201cThey separated me from my baby. I never saw her further than my knee,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thecut.com\/2020\/04\/coronavirus-newborns-hospitals-parents.html\">Jordan told <em>The Cut<\/em><\/a>. \u201cNot touching or seeing my child\u2019s face, no skin-to-skin\u2014I cried a lot about that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"clay-paragraph\" data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"www.thecut.com\/_components\/clay-paragraph\/instances\/ck8p5zm4z00733h67y8jas3tv@published\" data-word-count=\"90\">The article continues:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p class=\"clay-paragraph\" data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"www.thecut.com\/_components\/clay-paragraph\/instances\/ck8p5zm4z00733h67y8jas3tv@published\" data-word-count=\"90\">She said she wasn\u2019t allowed to take a video of her daughter being bathed at a distance, or even glimpse her in the nursery through a window. Jordan was handed a breast pump and put in a room with another woman in the same boat, who she remembers sobbed when she asked if she could see her baby.<\/p>\n<p class=\"clay-paragraph\" data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"www.thecut.com\/_components\/clay-paragraph\/instances\/ck8p5z9pk006r3h67gkhq91nz@published\" data-word-count=\"160\">\u201cI get that everyone is overwhelmed, but I didn\u2019t feel like a patient. I felt like I was a damn near criminal,\u201d said Jordan, who has her own organizational and leadership consulting practice. \u201cIt felt so inhumane.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"clay-paragraph\" data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"www.thecut.com\/_components\/clay-paragraph\/instances\/ck8p5z9pk006r3h67gkhq91nz@published\" data-word-count=\"160\">Jordan was desperate to get out of the ward, where she said nurses were afraid to come <a href=\"https:\/\/www.jennifermargulis.net\/can-you-help-someone-who-doesnt-want-your-help\/\">help<\/a> the two recovering women, even though her roommate struggled to even use the bathroom.<\/p>\n<p class=\"clay-paragraph\" data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"www.thecut.com\/_components\/clay-paragraph\/instances\/ck8p5z9pk006r3h67gkhq91nz@published\" data-word-count=\"160\">On Monday evening, more than 12 hours after her daughter was born, Jordan was told she had tested positive for COVID-19.<\/p>\n<p class=\"clay-paragraph\" data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"www.thecut.com\/_components\/clay-paragraph\/instances\/ck8p5z9pk006r3h67gkhq91nz@published\" data-word-count=\"160\">On Tuesday, she agreed to be discharged without her baby, who was being treated for jaundice. The next day, her daughter tested negative for the coronavirus and Jordan was allowed to hold her for the first time and bring her home. She was instructed to <a href=\"http:\/\/www.jennifermargulis.net\/wearing-mask-can-harm-your-health\/\">wear a mask<\/a> and wash her hands, raising the question of why she had to be separated from her at birth in the first place.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<h3><strong>How do you make sure you can hold your baby close?<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>The best way is to have a <a href=\"http:\/\/www.jennifermargulis.net\/a-doctors-thoughts-on-home-birth\/\">home birth<\/a> or a birth center birth. Hospitals are for helping sick people, something they do well. When you&#8217;re a healthy pregnant person there is no reason to go to the hospital.<\/p>\n<p>But if you are having a hospital birth, find a baby-friendly hospital that practices kangaroo care. Make sure you have a <a href=\"http:\/\/www.jennifermargulis.net\/mother-health-international-promotes-safe-childbirth\/\">midwife<\/a>, not an <a href=\"http:\/\/www.jennifermargulis.net\/when-obstetricians-hate-homebirth-midwives-birth-becomes-less-safe-for-everyone\/\">obstetrician<\/a>, take care of you during labor and delivery. And make sure your midwife, and any of the loved ones who are attending your birth, all understand that your baby will not be leaving your arms.<\/p>\n<div class=\"text_exposed_show\">\n<p>The bottom line is that there should be <a href=\"http:\/\/www.jennifermargulis.net\/babies-and-mothers-should-not-be-separated-after-birth-heres-why\/\">zero separation<\/a> of moms and babies. Kangaroo care leads to healthier, happier babies. Kangaroo carried babies are better able to nurse, gain weight, be alert, survive, and thrive.<\/p>\n<p>Published: February 7, 2020<br \/>\nLast update: July 22, 2020<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Kangaroo care means holding your baby, skin-to-skin. You become your new baby&#8217;s incubator, with no clothing separating you.\u00a0Kangaroo care involves having your newborn sleep on your chest (or sleep on your partner&#8217;s or friend&#8217;s chest when you need a break.) Like a mama kangaroo with her joey, you carry her with you everywhere. You stay [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":11446,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":""},"categories":[5269,8275,4],"tags":[11278,11277,756],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v14.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Kangaroo Care Helps Newborns Survive and Thrive &mdash; Jennifer Margulis<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Kangaroo care, which means continuous skin-to-skin contact between Mom and baby, helps newborns regulate body temperature, feel safe, and feel loved.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.jennifermargulis.net\/kangaroo-care-helps-newborns-survive-and-thrive\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Kangaroo Care Helps Newborns Survive and Thrive &mdash; Jennifer Margulis\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Kangaroo care, which means continuous skin-to-skin contact between Mom and baby, helps newborns regulate body temperature, feel safe, and feel loved.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.jennifermargulis.net\/kangaroo-care-helps-newborns-survive-and-thrive\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Jennifer Margulis\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-02-07T20:13:08+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2021-06-02T18:13:52+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/jennifermargulis.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Kangaroo-Care.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"685\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"960\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@JenniferMarguli\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@JenniferMarguli\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":[\"Person\",\"Organization\"],\"@id\":\"https:\/\/jennifermargulis.net\/#\/schema\/person\/4f4b9f697431bff90dbf687b6ae55ccb\",\"name\":\"andrew.bolsinger@gmail.com\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/jennifermargulis.net\/#personlogo\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/jennifermargulis.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/favicon.png\",\"width\":200,\"height\":200,\"caption\":\"andrew.bolsinger@gmail.com\"},\"logo\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/jennifermargulis.net\/#personlogo\"}},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/jennifermargulis.net\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/jennifermargulis.net\/\",\"name\":\"Jennifer Margulis\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/jennifermargulis.net\/#\/schema\/person\/4f4b9f697431bff90dbf687b6ae55ccb\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":\"https:\/\/jennifermargulis.net\/?s={search_term_string}\",\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.jennifermargulis.net\/kangaroo-care-helps-newborns-survive-and-thrive\/#primaryimage\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/jennifermargulis.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/Kangaroo-Care.jpg\",\"width\":685,\"height\":960,\"caption\":\"Kangaroo care means keeping your baby with you. 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She is the author of Your Baby, Your Way: Taking Charge of Your Pregnancy, Childbirth, and Parenting Decisions for a Happier, Healthier Family, co-author (with Paul Thomas, M.D.) of The Vaccine-Friendly Plan, and The Addiction Spectrum: A Compassionate, Holistic Approach to Recovery. 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